Cherished Memory
by ScarletBelle87
Summary: Bree is secretly in love with Kaiba but could never tell him. She is always defending him to her gang of friends and with all the strange occurrences aboard the KC blimp and the Duel Tower, she feels the need to constantly protect the Kaiba brothers. She is always trying to control the hope that he could feel something for her too but maybe that's not what she needs to hope for.


**A/N So I had my music on shuffle and the song Endlessly by Muse came up, it got the thoughts for this fic going so here we are. ****I think it works best to listen to the song while reading this piece but you don't have to.**

**Disclaimer: * I do not own the music or lyrics which belong to Muse and it's affiliated labels.**

***I do not claim to own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters therein apart from my own plot and characters.**

* * *

Bree stood beside Mokuba in the open air arena high atop the duel tower, watching one of her closest friends battle the person she secretly loved.

There were so many unexplained things happening on the blimp that it made for a nice change to only have to deal with larger than life holograms. Except that was not all she had to deal with. Kaiba had put so much pressure on himself for this one duel and she was just as concerned for him as his little brother was, who stood beside her.

Yugi explained to her why it was so important that he win and while she was skeptical, she could not deny certain facts. Facts like Mai being a coma, or Joey being unconscious with all those machines around him.

Kaiba's gaze travelled to her and Mokuba and it made her heart skip a beat, but she knew the only reason he tolerated her was because Mokuba was so fond of her. Well, maybe the fact that she questioned everything the gang said helped as well.

"Glad you geeks found someone with a brain," he had said the first time he heard Bree disagree with her friends. It was a bit of a backhanded compliment but she let it slide.

Since that moment, Bree found herself around the brothers with increasing frequency and it only made her like them even more. Thinking back, she thought the moment like turned to love was when Noah captured everyone. Mokuba and Kaiba fell through the floor together and she fell by herself soon after. Thankfully, she was able to run into them after defeating Crump. Bree had had a lucky hand and was eternally grateful to Yugi for teaching her how to play. She would find out later that he would challenge Tea and fail once again.

With no choice, Bree followed the brothers as they relived the horrors of their past. It made the bile rise in her throat when she saw what they had been through but she also got to experience their unconditional love.

It was with complete and utter shock that Kaiba allowed her to go with him as he searched for Mokuba.

Her heart broke in two when he shouted Mokuba's name from the top of the mountain. Bree could take it no more and pulled him to her, awkwardly hugging the most cantankerous person she knew.

"We'll find him," she choked out in a whisper.

"Seto, you can win this! I know you can!" Mokuba yelled, jarring her from her thoughts. "Don't you think so?" He turned his doe eyes on her, but she could not answer. At this point they both could win. Kaiba battled with well calculated strategy and intelligence but Yugi always had an answer. Instead of saying anything, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed gently.

There was a commotion at the entrance to the rooftop catching her attention. It was her group of friends.

"Joey?!" she exclaimed with shock. "H-How?"

"It doesn't matter," Duke said.

"We're here for you Yugi!" Tea cheered.

While Bree did want her friend to do well, she hated how the others demonized Kaiba. She understood why he was the way he was, but the constant judging from her friends infuriated her. The power in the duel continued to shift back and forth until Yugi, finally, cast the final blow.

"No," she whispered under her breath. Mokuba heard her but said nothing, watching in horror as his brother had to come to terms with his loss before the world.

Bree watched in silence as Kaiba held himself proudly while handing over his rarest card. Once the arena lowered, she moved aside to let Mokuba walk away with his brother except Joey intercepted them. He began his usual diatribe aimed at Kaiba but she knew she had to stop him. It was neither fair nor wise.

"Joey, leave it alone," Bree warned through gritted teeth.

"Why? Rich boy thinks he's so much better than us! Why don't you duel me to prove it," Joey challenged.

"My brother doesn't have to prove anything to you!" Mokuba defended.

"How can you defend him after everything he said about you!?"

"What did he say about me?" Mokuba asked, crestfallen.

"He said he didn't need anyone, I guess that means he doesn't need you either," Joey continued.

"Joey! Don't do this!" she pleaded.

"And you! Why would you defend someone who can't even stand to be around you?!" Joey raged on.

"Because it doesn't matter how he feels about me or you or any of us. What you're doing isn't right and I will defend anyone I think deserves it regardless of what they think of me!" she spat.

Kaiba watched her silently. He knew what Joey said was not true. He felt more for her than he allowed himself to believe. He did not know when or how she had managed to sneak through his walls, but found himself seeking her out and he did not know why he did that. At least he had the good sense to pass it off as looking for his brother. Even when Noah had Mokuba, he rationalized allowing her to tag along as nothing more than that it would bring his little brother comfort, but he could not lie to himself forever. Especially since he enjoyed being around her, her accidental touches or being held by her, even if that last one was just a virtual experience. Was it love that he felt?

Kaiba decided he needed to put Joey back in his place.

"Fine Wheeler. It should be short work teaching you a lesson," he taunted. With a flounce of his coat he disappeared through the exit and made his way down to the bottom of the tower with the others following closely.

Bree pulled Mokuba against her, holding onto his shoulders. She wanted him to feel at ease but the truth was that she was just nervous. She could not show her support either way and knew at the end, at least one important person to her would be upset.

She quietly watched the duel. Joey had a few good moves and Bree enjoyed the cheerleading from the opposing camps but at the end, it was a short duel like Kaiba had said. To her great relief, neither hot heads reacted badly at the end of it. She ignored the unkind things her friends said, opting to follow Mokuba instead.

"Well, played Kaiba," she smiled.

"Beating the likes of Wheeler is nothing to be celebrated," he replied in his typical way. She chuckled at his retort which quickly turned into a groan as she saw Ishizu approach who launched into her well rehearsed speech about destiny and ancient battles. Bree could not help the volume of her eye roll.

"What is it with you people?! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

She felt for Kaiba and she had asked herself the same question a thousand times. Bree tried to tune Ishizu out but she was not prepared for the breakdown from Mokuba.

"You're always in a bad mood now! I miss the way things were! At least you smiled then!" he cried.

"Mokuba, that's not very fair," she said tenderly wiping away his tears.

"It's true!" he said to her. "Seto if you know how to win, help Yugi!" he beseeched his brother. She could see the warring emotions within the elder Kaiba. With a sigh he turned back towards the tower, delighting Mokuba by agreeing to help.

Bree followed behind Mokuba, creating a barrier between him and Ishizu. She caught Kaiba's eye in the elevator, fleetingly, she thought there might have been a moment passing between them, but as the doors opened, she mentally chastised herself for being so hopeful.

The sound of hydraulic lifts filled the air as they stepped out into the sunlight. The arena had already risen. Kaiba tossed the card to Yugi but that was far from her biggest worry. She still had no explanation for the strange occurrences but she did not trust Marik. Bree moved to stand in front of Mokuba, shielding him with her body. It was not missed by Kaiba. All these little things that she did just made her that much more special to him. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to grab on to her and never let go.

As she had come to expect, the dark purple fog engulfed the top of the tower. Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when it did. She was looking at two Mariks and two Yugis. Instantly she turned to Kaiba who looked at her.

"It's obviously some kind of a trick," he growled.

Trick or no, the danger felt real. She was afraid for Yugi but from her recent experiences, she was afraid for Kaiba and Mokuba too. It did not feel like being a bystander was any safer. She could not bring herself to cheer like the others nor could she enjoy any moment of Yugi winning the little battles. All she could be, was relieved when it was all over.

The moment of victory was short lived. With Kaiba announcing that the tower would self destruct, everyone rushed towards the exit. She understood why he would want to do this. He had said himself that this was where his stepfather made his millions. Bree hugged Mokuba goodbye and looked up at Kaiba not knowing what to say. Every word she could think of bubbled up and died in her throat. What could she say?

"Bye, Kaiba," Bree said softly. Mokuba ran off through the exit and with heavy feet, she turned to follow him through. Kaiba called her name and she halted in her steps.

"Yes?" she asked, trying hard to quell any hope within her. He closed the distance between them but words failed him too. She was right there, all he needed to do was pull her to him. All he wanted to do was kiss her lips. He wanted her every cherished memory to be of him.

"Make sure you get off this island. You only have one hour." This was all that managed to escape him. Bree nodded and feeling bolder than she ever had, she reached up and hugged him tightly.

"I hope this helps you find your happiness," she whispered. With one last longing look, she turned around. Numb, he watched her slowly walk away from him.

_Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly_

_Hopelessly I'll give you everything_

_But I won't give you up_

_I won't let you down_

_And I won't leave you falling_

_But the moment never comes_


End file.
